Perth Voice Interactive

ABOUT 350 Vincent locals turned up to the town hall on Sunday to prepare their submissions on council mergers to the WA local government advisory board.

Mayor John Carey says he is “under no doubts our community wants Vincent to remain as is”.

“That message was made very clear in last year’s plebiscite, where we as a council asked the community what they wanted, and 77 per cent said keep Vincent as is.”

But he said with the WA government intent on boundary change and a plan to split Vincent hanging over its head, the council decided to suggest an all-in merger with Perth instead.

Mr Carey urged those at the weekend gathering to ask the LGAB for a fair and equal merger, not a “boundary adjustment” of Perth which WA local government minister Tony Simpson favours, as it would enable him to sack Vincent and have Perth simply take over.

A “fair and equal merger” would require the dissolution of both councils, the temporary appointment of commissioners over the entire new merged body and then fresh elections.

Mr Carey is worred that if the current Perth council runs the place for four months before new elections are held that Vincent culture such as open question time, more relaxed parking philosophies, approaches to multiple dwellings and continued funding of the Nyoongar patrol will all be snuffed out.

Under a boundary realignment there’s also no opportunity for the community to veto a change under the Dadour legislation.

Submissions were due Thursday March 13.

by DAVID BELL

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ACROSS the border Perth city council continues its campaign to push for only a small increase of its borders, with lord mayor Lisa Scaffidi opposing taking in all of Vincent.

This week the PCC’s online video campaign rolled out with Business Improvement Group Northbridge chair Mike Keiller warning against a return to the old days where Perth council stretched to the northern reaches of Vincent.

“I’m fully supportive of the City of Perth plan,” he says. “I think it recognises those areas that have more of a connection to the city.”

The PCC says taking all of the northern suburbs back in could lead to “conflict” and a distraction from core city business.

So far personalities the PCC has featured in its campaign include former chair of the Queensland local government reform commission Bob Longland, the Burswood Peninsula property owners, former chair of Victorian local government board Leonie Hemingway, Queensland local government association boss Greg Hoffman and UWA vice chancellor Paul Johnson.